Control valve



Mamh 19, 1946. H. w. ADDISON CONTROL VALVE Filed Jan. 5, 1945 INVEN TOR.

) ATTOKMEYJ mm Q wm Patented Mar. 19, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECommon VALVE Harry W. Addison, Marshall, Minn.

Application January 5, 1945, Serial No. 571,405

Claims.

This invention relates to a flow control valve unit. I

It is an object of the invention to provide a flow control valve devicewhich can be set to provide for fluid flow in one direction, and which,upon the expiration of a predetermined time interval, will automaticallybe actuated to reverse or otherwise change the direction of flow offluid through the valve and through any suitable system to which thevalve may be connected.

In a more specific application thereof, it is an object of the inventionto provide flow control means for a water system such as a watersoftening system, water cooling or heating system and the like whereinthe valve is set for normal operation, and wherein it can beautomatically actuated after a predetermined time interval to reverse orotherwise change the flow of fluid through the system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flow control valveunit which is adapted for use in a water softening system whereinsimplified means is provided for setting the control valve to permitdrainage of the system in preparation for flushing or cleaning of thesystem.

These and-other objects and advantages of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the sameparts throughout the views, and, in which:

Figure 1 is a viewpartially in side elevation and partially in verticalsection of the control valve assembly incorporated in a system such as awater softener system; and

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the control valve unit.

In the drawing there is shown a valve casing A made up of upper andlower sections 3 and 4,

which may be threadedly connected as at 5. Mounted in the lower end ofthe lower casing section 4 is a T connection 6 which is threaded into anapertured plug 1 having an open cage 8 formed on its upper and innerside. The lower casing section 4 is provided with a port assembly 9 andthe upper casing section 3 is provided with a port assembly l9.Intermediate the T connection 6 and the port assembly 9 in the lowercasing section 4 is a port assembly H.

A valve rod I 2 is guided by a packing gland 13 in the upper casingsection 3 and the lower end thereof is guided by the spider 8 on theapertured plug 1 in the lower end of the lower casing portion 4. Thevalve rod l2 carries a pair of valve members l4 and IS. The valve memberI4 is adapted to alternately engage a seat IS in the lower casingportion .4 and a seat I! at the lower end of the upper casing portion 3.The lower valve member I5 is adapted to engage a seat l8 formed in thelower casing portion 4 and such engagement is simultaneous with theengagement of the upper valve member l4 with its upper seat I].

The upper end of the valve stem l2 extends into a tubular guide l9 andis provided with a nut 29 on its upper end. A spring 2| is interposedbetween the underside of the nut 29 and the upper end portion 22 of theupper casing section 3 through which the stem 12 passes. A second spring23 rests upon the nut 29 on the valve stem l2 and a slidable plug 24rests upon the upper end of the spring 23. Mounted on the side of thetubular guide I9 is a pivoted catch 25 having a tension spring 26connected thereto, said spring being also connected to a bracket 21 onthe upper end of the tubular guide I 9. The guide I9 is providedwith anaperture 28 to receive the end 29 of the catch 25, which is adapted tobe movably received over a shoulder 30 on the slidable plug 24 25Suspended from the bracket 21 is a time controlled unit 3| of anysuitable construction. It is provided with a graduated dial 32 and witha rotary pointer 33 which can be wound or reset by turning it in aclockwise direction, and which when released will rotate under theinfluence of a spring or the like in a counterclockwise direction asindicated by the arrow 32. The pointer 33 is aligned with and adapted toengage the end of the catch 25 when said pointer reaches a position justbeyond that shown in Figure 1 thereby releasing said catch 25 from theslidable plug 24 and permitting the valve stem l2 to move upwardly underthe influence of the spring 2|. Connected to the port casting I l in thelower casing section 4 is a pipe 34 in which is located a valve unit 35having a horizontally disposed valve stem 36. An operating arm 31 havinga handle 38 i connected to the valve stem 36 at right angles thereto andthe left hand end of said lever 31, as viewed in Figure 1, is providedwith a cam shaped portion 39 and a stop 40. The cam portion 39 isaligned vertically with the upper end of the slidable plug 24 and whenthe lever 31 is swung to a generally vertical position (the plug 24being released and pushed upwardly by the spring 3|) it will engage theupper end of the plug 24 and press it downwardly against the action ofsprings 21 and 23 until the catch 25 again engages the shoulder 39 onthe plug 24. While the interior of the valve unit as is not sffownit-should be understood that it is a simple tapered plug ty e of valvewhich is in its open position in Figure 1 with the lever 3'! horizontaland which is closed when the lever 31 is swung upwardly to a- ;senerallyvertical position.

' A small tube 4! connects with the interior of the casing of the valve35 on the left hand side of the valve as viewed in Figure 1, and saidtube extends into the interior of the upper section, 8

of the main valve casing A communicating with a port 42 in said casingsection closely adjacent the port or assembly ll. A portion of a pipe InFigural there is shown a tank 44,'which for the purpose of illustratingthe inventionmay be the tank of a water softener. A pipe 48 is connectedbetween the main valve casing port valve A and thence beyond where itmay te'nerconstructions.v If the control valve assembly is used in awater softener system it would be arr'an'gedjinthe valve member I4 onthe stem 12 contactingits:

upper seat" i1. and. the-valve member 15' conr 43 is also shown threadedinto the port casting ll.

I land the lower end of the tank 44. A pipe u extends from the upper endof the tank 44 through the T lat the lower end of the main piping systemof a home manner shown in the drawing, the pipej4 con- .stituting a hardwater inlet pipe; Normally the valve rod 12 would be released soithatthefs'pring" 2i would move it to its vupper position with the and thevalve lever 31 is returned to the horizontal position indicatedpermitting water to flow from the pipe 34 through the lower valve casingsection 4, the right hand side of the 1' connection 6 and thelower endof the casing section 4, and thence downwardly through the tank 44. Thewater then flows from the lower portion of-the tank '44 through the pipe45 from right to left as viewed in the drawing,'through the intermediateportion of the valve casing. A,

and thence outwardly through the drain pipe 43. This condition continuesuntil the previously set timer pointer 33 moves in a counterclockwisedirection throughout its predetermined time interval and engages thecatch 2! to release the slidable plug 24 and springs ii and 23, therebycausing the valve stem l2 and valve members l4 and ii to move upwardlyand reverse the flow through the tank 44 inits normal operatingcondition. It will, of course, be understood that various changes may bemade inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the variousparts :vithout departing from the scope of my invenlon. y

What I claim is: s

1. a control valve, a casing having a pair of ports therein, a valvemember movable in said casingto selectively control flow through eitherI of said ports, releasable means for moving said valve member from oneposition to another to tacting'its seat i8. 1 As a result waterwouldflo'w from the, pipe 34' into-thelower section "4 of the valvecasing A 'andthencethrough the pipe 45 to the lower portion. of thesoftener tank 4!. 'I'hegwater'would then pass, up through the tank andthesoftening crystals or other material 7 therein. and leave the tankthrough the pipe 46 which constitutes the softened water supply.

when it-isnecessary to regenerate the water softening material in thetank 44 this is done in Y the conventional types ,of softeners byreversing the 'flo'woi' water through the softener tank and itscrystals. After initially installing the apparatus in aparticular waterline it may be necessary to determine by trial and error just how longthe reverse flow of water should be 7 continued before regeneration iscompleted.

Thisfcan be done in the first instance by testing the water which issuesfrom the softener in its reverse flow to determine whether the salt usedI in'the cleaning operation has been completely dissolved and washedaway. when this interval of time necessary to remove all of a certainquantity of salt from the tank 44 has been ascertained, the system canberepeatedly regenerated'by merely setting the time pointer 3-3 to thedesired time interval indicated by the graduateddialfl. f

' When regenerating the unit the handle 38 of the lever 31 on the .valve-is raised to a gen-v or ly vertical'position thereby shutting off thefreshwater supply in the pipe 34 and depressing the slidable plug 24until it is retained by the catch 25, In this position the valve member14 on thearm i2 is seated against the seat" l8 and I the valve member 15is spaced from its seat l8.

When the hard'watersup'ply pipe isclosed by .tl ie'valve' asthe'softener system is relieved or varythe flow relationship of saidmember and said ports, and time controlled mechanism operatively'associated with said valve member moving means to permit movement ofsaid valve j member relative to said ports.

of saidjports. means for moving said valve memnism operativelyassociated with said first menpressure 'by means.ofthebypasstube 4iwhich;

communicateslwith the" interior 1 of the main valvefcasinglA' attheinlet of the drain or waste pipe '43." The saltis then placedinvthe tank44 simultaneously actuating saidse'cond valve and ber, from" oneposition to another to vary the flowrelationship of said member and saidports,

, means for releasably securing said valve member and its moving means,and time v controlled mechanism movable to release said releasablesecuring means. 7 a

3. Ina control valve, a casing having a pair of ports'tlierein, a valvemember movable in said casing-to selectively control flow through eitherof said ports, spring means for moving said valve member from oneposition to another to vary the flow relationship of said member andsaid ports, means for releasably securing said valve member in oneposition thereof against the action of said spring means, and timecontrolled mechanism operatively associated with said releasableseouringmeans to'permit movement of said valve member relative-to said portsunder the influence of said spring means. i

4. In a control valve, a casing having ports therein, a flow linecommunicating with said casing independently of said ports, a valvemember movable in said casing to selectively control flow relative tosaidilow line through either of said ports, releasable means for movingsaid valve member from one position thereof to another to vary the flowrelationship of said valve member and said, ports, a.-second valvelocated in said flow line, time controlled release mechationed valvemember, and combined means for resetting said time controlled releasemechanism and said first mentioned valve member.

5. In a control valve unit, a valve casing, an inlet conduit connectedto said casing, a pair of ports in said casing, a valve member movablein said casing to reverse the flow relationship between said inletconduit and said ports, valve member actuating means normallymaintaining said valve member in a first flow control ,position relativeto said ports, means releasably retaining said valve member actuatingmeans and member in a second and reverse flow control position, and timecontrolled mechanism operatively associated with said releasableretainin means to permit movement of said valve member from said secondto said first control position after a predetermined time interval.

HARRY W. ADDISON.

